Staying grounded

I came across this quote recently on Instagram:

"The secret is to never lose sight of the simple, everyday miracles in life. Good food, literature, laughter, music, compelling conversation, nature, and art. Look for them in every day, and even when it feels like your whole world is unravelling, you will never be too far from a needle and thread".

Last year was a tough year for me. I lost my Mother due to an unexpected heart attack and then battled depression, anxiety and insomnia.  The hard part of the experience was losing sight of the things that mattered to me, however large or small.  I started taking things for granted and then it hit me one day: there is so much beauty and wonder in this universe, I need to wake up and enjoy it rather than bringing myself down and staying down.

I found that being in nature was the best cure for my soul; that finding new music that I enjoyed and could relate to on some level, relaxed my soul and eased my mind; that having meaningful and deep conversations helped to open my mind; that taking photos of anything beautiful helped me look for the beauty in every day. While these things may seem small to some, it all helped me put my life back together. It has been almost a year since my Mother passed and I am starting to feel like I'm getting back to myself again. I am not 100% but I am getting there slowly.

To find hope, solace, peace and happiness in life's everyday miracles is one of the most profound feelings to which I vow never to take for granted again.

Welcome to My Blog

My name is Kari. I am a wife, a mother, a daughter, a sister, an aunt. I have a congenital heart defect and a pacemaker but I am not weak. I am kind, forgiving and love unconditionally but I am not a pushover.  I am not easily offended but I don’t tolerate disrespect, abuse or the inconsideration of others. I take my role as a wife and mother very seriously and my family is my priority. I am a fighter, a survivor, a dreamer, a romantic; however, I am not perfect and have my own failings. I struggle everyday with depression and anxiety and yet I persevere because I must. Writing helps me fill the voids in my life. It is in this expression that I reconnect with myself and feel peace. 

Sometimes I just sit and think. I think about where life has taken me and where life will lead me. I marvel at the sky, the vast unknown that beholds the immensity of the universe. In such a phenomenal space, we observe such greatness, such splendor. It is in this wonder that we find ourselves, our purpose and our grandeur. Our lives are filled with happiness, disappointments, triumphs and trials and we continuously push through the bad to get to the good whenever possible. We learn, we grow and we shape our lives with every experience. We are imperfect but not easily defeated. In these experiences, somehow the universe knows just what we need at any given time; it shows us just how beautiful life can be anywhere on the horizon.